milkshake diet

[ali-w]

hi I have recently started a 'milkshake' diet and have foud that since starting almost straight away after drinking i'm getting stomach cramps and loose stools (yellowish in colour) I didn't drink a lot of milk before usually just in tea I was wondering if this could be a allergy to milk or if its just the shake mix? the only other dairy I eat is cheese and if i eat too much of it i get awful headaches, just wondered if i might have a mild allergy to dairy and what advice (other than not eating cheese) if any u could give.
Thanks

[Dr Helen Brough]

Dear Ali-W,

You may have lactose intolerance.

This is not an allergy but food intolerance due to lack of the enzyme lactase in the gut which breaks down the sugar lactose in cow's milk. Lactose intolerance is more common in adulthood and certain ethnic groups, including Asian, African and South Americans have a higher likelihood of developing this in adulthood. It means you can usually tolerated small amount of cow's milk (lactose) but develop symptoms of bloating, loose stools and abdominal pain with too much cow's milk.

There are ways to test for lactose intolerance in the stool (faecal reducing substances) and breath (hydrogen breath test) however if it resolves with removal of cow's milk then you have a practical solution to the problem and it make the diagnosis of lactose intolerance more likely. You will need to make sure you are getting enough calcium if you are avoiding cow's milk. Soya is naturally lactose free and the non-organic brands are calcium fortified.

Kind regards,

[ali-w]

thank u Dr Helen I will look into the replacement
Ali